São Paulo – The Syrian-Lebanese Hospital announced on Tuesday (21) that the foundation stone of a unit to be built in the interior of São Paulo has been laid. This will be the institution’s first installations outside the city of São Paulo, the capital of the state that goes by the same name.
According to a spokesperson for the hopsital, the unit will cover 58,000 square meters and should have 150 beds, being 30 in the ICU. It should also include a diagnosis centre, surgery wards and an emergency room.
The decision of building the unit in Campinas, according to the hospital, was due to the fact that the city has the fourth best infrastructure in Brazil, a Gross Domestic Product of over 20 billion Brazilian reals (US$ 12 billion) and is a renowned higher education hub. For this reason, the organisation also plans to take its Teaching and Research Institute there.
Operation should begin in December 2012, according to the institution. The building should be part of a new real-estate development in Campinas, named Santa Paula Neighbourhood.
Apart from the headquarters in Bela Vista neighbourhood, a central area in São Paulo, the hospital recently inaugurated a unit in Itaim, in the same city. The opening of one more unit is scheduled to take place on Avenida Brasil, also in the capital, as is an oncology centre in Brazilian capital Brasília.
*Translated by Mark Ament